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July 21, 2015

Answering the Antique, Vintage, and Retro Nevers Q & A

So often with fun online tags or other types of Q&A posts that catch on and spread like wildfire, they've been passed from blog to blog for so long that one would be extremely hard pressed to find their original source. Not so with the Antique, Vintage, and Retro Nevers Q & A that my very dear friend (and immensely talented sewer) Inky from On Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax created a little earlier this year.

She was inspired to create this series of questions (and answers) based on things in the vintage (et al) world that she would likely never do. I thought this was such a fun, original spin on a set of questions that are designed to help your readers get to know you better. As such, I knew instantly that I wanted to try my hand at answering her original set of eight questons as well and am delighted to have a chance to do so today.

So without, further ado, may I present my answers to Inky's great Antique, Vintage, and Retro Nevers questions.

1. What is one antique/vintage/retro item you’d never want to receive as a gift or would never think of purchasing?

Anything directly tied to the Nazi regime of WW2. I believe that it's very important to preserve such items from a historical and cultural standpoint and do not take issue with those that collect them (assuming they're not neo-nazis or the like themselves), but it's something that I would absolutely not feel comfortable owning myself.

2. What are three movies made in pre-70's Hollywood you've never seen and want to see?

3. What are three movies made in pre-70’s Hollywood you've seen and will never watch again?

This is genuinely hard, as there aren't many old movies that I didn't enjoy - if only for the fashions and hairstyles involved. Honestly, I'm not sure. Sorry!!! I guess I'm every director's dream critic! :D

4. What is one antique/vintage/retro item you own, but never imagined you would?

5. What is one thing you do relating to vintage you never pictured yourself doing?

Very good question, there are definitely a few things that fall into this camp, but believe it or not given the abundance of out outfit posts here in recent years, when I began blogging, I was still way too shy and self-conscious to put my picture online (very often at least).

It took about three years of solid blogging and feeling at home in the vintage community, as well as growing and maturing as a person, before I reached a place where I was able to stand in front of the lens and more over share the end results of doing so with all of you (assuming, at least, that Tony is the person behind the camera! Though I'd totally let a kitty take my photo, too! :D). I'm so thankful that I reached this point because I know that it's helped to enrich my blog and my life itself a great deal.

6. If you could never dress outside a specific decade of the past again, what decade would you choose?

I'm going to play fast and loose with the definition of a decade being a ten year period and say, as I have many a time before, that without a doubt, I would select the years spanning the launch of Dior's immensely famous New Look silhouette in 1947 to ten years later 1957. This period in time is such an incredibly rich, vibrant, elegant one for fashion and it has spoken to my sartorial soul since I was a small child.

7. What is one thing you could never bring yourself to do to an antique/vintage/retro item?

Knowingly do anything to damage a perfectly good (intact) vintage item. I usually won't even have my vintage garments altered in the slightest way because I just can't bring myself to "hurt" anything that has survived in its present shape for this long. I don't chide those that do, of course, and know that this is a hot button issue for many in the vintage world, but again, it's just not something that I'm personally down with when it comes to my own vintage items.

8. Is there an antique/vintage/retro item you own that you would never give up?

Any of the small number of true vintage items, such as the gorgeous c. early 1940s crepe dress that I chatted about not too long ago here, that belonged to my own family members. These pieces have been with us for generations now and I hope that I can pass them along to the next one, too. (Note: That photo is not of my own relatives, I just really liked it because it showed multiple generations of the same family all in one image).

{To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

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Thank you very much for creating this delightful, creative set of questions, Inky. I hope that others will take both our leads and blog about their own answers, too. If you do, by all means feel free to share the link to your post here with me and over on Inky's blog with her as well.

Tell, my dears, what are some "vintage nevers" in your books? What questions might you ad to this list? And, conversely, what are some of your "vintage alwayses"?

37 comments:

What a fun questionaire! I loved 'Gilda' so I highly recommend that one! and I definitely agree with you about 7. I was watching a lifestyle show the other day when they had some perfect looking 1950s and 1960s cupboards and they were painting them and carving them and I just had to look away. They were perfect already. I have no problems with people updating things if they are already broken. However, even then I would prefer they tried to keep it true to style.

I think that a lot of us vintage lovers are loath to alter perfectly intact older pieces. It seems to go against something almost primal in us and our deserve to preserve the past. Of course, again, zero judgement against those who do, but it's definitely not me in the slightest.

never say never :-)i have inherited some embroidered flower patches and pendants for necklaces that were given to the women who did spend money or goods for the "winterhilfswerk" - a caritative organisation of nazi germany. on fleamarkets this things are sold as innocent pretty pieces because nobody knows unless one studies the subject. living in this country i´m aware of the thin line on which one has to balance if liking the looks of the 30´s and 40´s......sweaty (sorry) summer hugs! :-)<3 <3 <3

Hi sweet Beate, that is really fascinating. I would be fine with acquiring something like that. I just meant that I wouldn't be rushing out to buy genuine Nazi items that were highly emblematic of the regime (say, like a swastika flag) to add to my own personal collection.

As always these could have been my answers too. :) Except that I do alter vintage clothes slightly, like take up or down a hem of a skirt. But I always do it, so it is possible to undo it. I really, really respect old things, and often think that in 20 to 30 years, no girls will be able to wear fifties dresses anymore. On the other hand I really think that it should be worn, and if a slight altering can make it wearable for me, then I do it. You should be proud of your photos. Thanks to Tony they are fabulous. I think that he can make the best of you because he loves you, and is a talented photographer. DH loves me, but he is NOT a talented photographer! ;) He does not see the motif, often I close my eyes or he cuts my feet off, so we have a joke that goes "now with feet", haha. You cannot be an expert in everything. Wishing you a lovely day, dear. :)

Hi sweet Sanne, thank you very much for your great comment. I have a much easier time personally with that sort of alteration. It's more when people take perfectly good vintage items and hack them to bits or drastically alter how they look (say with furniture) that isn't in keeping with someone that I'd personally be comfortable or happy doing myself, but again, as I mentioned above, I don't pass any judgement on those that do. Once you've bought or been given an item, it's yours do with as you please - and definitely to each their own in this area, as with so many in life. :)

I really am blessed to have a husband who is not only a talented photographer, but also who truly gets me and who understood from the get-go that being in front of the lens was not a place that I felt overly comfortable for the vast majority of my life. Even now, if he's not the one pointing the camera, a lot of my old insecurities in regarding to body image and being photographed come flooding back, so it's a very good thing that he's the usually the one taking the snaps!

It's really sweet that your husband is willing to take your photo for you though - that's definitely worth a lot unto itself. I know many bloggers, YouTubers, etc out there that are in relationships and still take their own images/videos because it's just not their partner/spouse's cup of tea. So props to your DH for at least trying and wanting to help you in that way.

Thanks for doing my Q&A, I've been eagerly awaiting your answers and love what you came up with! Your lenient interpretation of the decade one is great, wish I would have thought to do it that way myself. :)

No need to apologize at all, we're all free to like or dislike whatever we want. The seventies seem relatively recent to me, too, and as I come from the camp that things should be 50+ years old to truly be vintage, they're not even such yet in my books (though, I do use that term more liberally sometimes, I just mean that I wish we had a unified age limit for vintage the way that antique items have an industry standard wherein they need to be 100 or more years old to wear the title of antique).

I hear you there! Save for some very pale and converse, dark yellow/gold shades, yellow does zero favours on me either (ditto for orange).

Thank you very much for sharing that with me, dear Lorena. I don't know what the items are that you bought, and you certainly don't need to tell me, but if they're of historical significance, perhaps you could donate them to a museum or sell them to a private collector who is more comfortable owning such items. Just an idea of course. :)

What a wonderful and true-to-the-heart series of questions.I have found one thing you and me are different in: I do change garnents. I cut, mend, shorten.. even re-shape them. But, then there's the thing of MY garaments being mostly scraps from 1970s & 1980s that Ibget in a used-clothes shop.. and if they "have the potential" I make them look more 1950s or 1930s. Otherwise, they would get no second chance, not in a way they deserve. Folks would never wear such an item in the street, I wear mine to business meetings.

Hello my very sweet friend, thank you for your lovely comment. I was referencing more pre-1960s items when I said that, so fear not. And again, I don't judge those who do alter vintage, it's just not something I'm personally a fan of doing.

No, I just went out for today's mail - very carefully, I may add, as a cougar (which we have plenty of in this part of the province) was spotted just a few streets over from us today! - and there was nothing from you, honey. Thank you for letting me know that you sent something new my way. I'm really eager for its arrival and will be sure to let you know when it gets here.

I think I'm reading this post too late at night here after a long day at work to think of any interesting questions of my own!! I love these ones though. I find it really interesting on the alterations thing - I think it's slightly what puts me off true vintage clothes as I'd probably need to get most things altered like I do my modern clothes and it does feel a bit of a shame to me to do that to something that was a great fit for someone else! x

I get that completely and actually think it's really admirable that you are aware of that in terms of your own preferences and potential tailoring needs. I can tell you though, for what it's worth, that with vintage garments, they usually fit me great or horribly, and if it's the latter, I don't even bother with alterations usually, as I know too much work would be needed to make them fit right, so it's better to leave them on the rack on the shop or resell/give them away in person. A lot of vintage works well on petite lasses like us, which is awesome! Some particularly good items in that respect are circle skirts, prince coats and cropped cardigans/shrugs.

Thanks for your great comment. I hope that you're having a beautiful week!

I loooved this series of questions, - and like you said, and answers -, cause they speak so much to my heart as well! I agree with her, no item from Nazi regime. Once a friend of mine asked me to find a helmet from a Nazi soldier, can you believe it? To buy and take to him. I thought "what's that? Why would someone want that? Obviously I never did it and I told him, look, I can't do it. I won't touch such a thing, even if the soldier was forced to fight, even this way I would like the energy. Awful. And I liked the last answer as well - I myself have some things from my family and I wouldn't give them up :) Very nice series! Hope you are doing fine and remember - time flies :) You know what I mean :)DenisesPlanet.com

Wow, what a strange request for a friend to ask you to do? Why on earth wouldn't someone just search for that kind of item themselves? They're not terribly hard to find and many military collector's - including one that I know who lives a ways north from us in this part of the province - deal in those very sorts of uniform type items. I'm sorry you were asked to do that and commend for not (doing so) given that it made you uncomfortable, dear Denise.

Thank you very much for your lovely comment. I am doing fairly well at the moment, thanks. I adore summer, so I really feel like I'm in my element right now. :)

This is really interesting! Those are some very insightful questions, and I'm glad we got to read your answers to them. One thing that really surprised me is that you've never seen Gilda. Such a fantastic movie, I'm sure you'll love it when you get a chance to watch it.

Thanks! Didn't Inky come up with some great questions? I know, eh? It's such a classic, yet I really don't believe I've seen Gilda yet. Gonna see if Netflix.ca has it and watch really soon if they do. I'm sure I'll love it. Rita is one of my favourite actresses ever!

I tend to alter my vintage items if it can be done by myself by hand, eg taking up a hem, so that it can always be undone and returned to it's original condition. I have a copy of Gilda at home and I love it!

Hi Debs, thank you very much for your lovely comment. I don't really take issue with that at all - what makes me cringe is when 100% perfectly okay vintage (or antique) items are hacked to bits, "upcycled" or made over for the 21st century in a way that largely (if not entirely) destroys their vintage integrity. Even there, I do believe in to each their own, altering old items in such a way is just not something I'm comfortable doing personally.

Oh I love Gilda!! I have also seen the Barefoot Contessa too. I have Gilda on DVD. :) Great interview! I would of said "Glen or Glenda" or "Plan 9 from Outer Space" - any thing by Ed Wood. I have seen most of his movies - pretty bad!!

I love all your answers. I feel the same way about the movies, the fashions make so many worth while. Ive also never seen Gilda and would really like to see it! I need to remember to rent it. I also try to never damage items, I hate when items are altered beyond recognition. I inadvertently damage my 1960s folding beach hat and truly feel guilty about it, but I prefer to wear my vintage and thats the risk I guessretro rover

Thank you so much ... after a long day I spent in the hospital, it is so nice to read something so lovely and interesting. Thumbs up for 'No altering Vintage'! I can't do this with my items, too. If they don't fit, they are bnit made for me and I let them go to another - hopefully perfect fitting home. But as you said, it is all about my vintage pieces! :)

Oh my goodness, sweet dear. I am sincerely sorry to hear that you just spend the day in the hospital. I hope that its nothing too serious. My heart and healing wishes are with you whatever the problem was/is - and please know that I am always here if you need someone to talk to privately about anything.

Ahh you just totally made my day. Seeing my hat here and hearing you say that about it just gave me such a buzz :)

I loved reading your answers to these interesting questions. I completely agree about family items, being lucky enough to have some myself. And about ruining vintage. But if it is already badly damaged, I am a fan of making it useful again (in theory ay least - I have a few things patiently waiting for me to finally do so! )

Hi sweet Tanith, I'm delighted to hear that! I will sing the praises of that breathtaking hat and your amazing millinery skills from the highest rooftops for all of time. It really and truly is my dream hat and you did such an incredible job on it.

For sure, if the toss up is between throwing away a damaged item and altering it to save what can be salved of it, I'm 100% in favour of the latter approach myself, too.

Many thanks for your great comment. I hope that you've having a super fun weekend!♥ Jessica

Very fun! I know something I would never do to a vintage piece is paint something that's made up of different woods or grains, like the waterfall edge bedroom furniture, where the pieces are basically cut on the bias to create a pattern with the grain. The veneer and wood is essentially what makes the piece desirable and fantastic! Why paint it?! It completely ruins it forever. Now, I have painted furniture, but only when it could or would have been in the past. If the wood isn't a sought after type, like oak or maple, then, within reason, I think it's ok. I could go on and on, ranting and everything, but don't even get me started on chalkboard paint! Ick!

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

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